พี่ชาย
pîi-chaai/pʰiː˥˩.t͡ɕʰaːj˧/
The Thai phrase for "big brother" is พี่ชาย (pîi-chaai).
พี่ชาย can refer to a biological older brother or be used as a respectful way to address a male who is slightly older than the speaker. In casual conversation, speakers often drop the gender marker and simply use พี่ to address an older brother.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of พี่ (pîi), meaning older sibling and ชาย (chaai), meaning male.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is pîi-chaai (/pʰiː˥˩.tɕʰaːj˧/).
Did you know?
- When using พี่ as a pronoun, the speaker often refers to themselves in the third person instead of using 'I'. For example, a big brother might say พี่ will go now instead of I will go now.
- In romantic contexts, a woman might call her boyfriend พี่ to evoke a sense of protection and seniority, even if they are the same age.
- The Thai word พี่ชาย shares a common linguistic ancestor with the Ahom language, appearing as 𑜆𑜣 𑜋𑜩 ('pi chai').
Examples in context
- ไปเที่ยวด้วยกันไหมพี่ชาย?Do you want to go out together, big brother?
- พี่ชายของฉันใจดีมากphîi-chaai khǒong chǎn jai dii mâakMy big brother is very kind.
- คุณมีพี่ชายกี่คนkhun mii phîi-chaai gii khonHow many big brothers do you have?
- พี่ชายกำลังขับรถอยู่phîi-chaai kam-lang khàp rót yùuMy big brother is driving.
Example conversation
Nicha asks Wittawat about his family.
- ณิชา Nichaคุณมีพี่ชายไหมคะkhun mi phi chai mai khaDo you have a big brother?
- วิทวัส Witthawatมีครับ พี่ชายของผมอยู่ที่เชียงใหม่mi krap phi chai khong phom yu thi chiang maiYes, my big brother is in Chiang Mai.
- ณิชา Nichaเขาทำงานอะไรคะkhao tham ngan arai khaWhat does he do for work?
- วิทวัส Witthawatเขาเป็นคุณครูครับkhao pen khun khru krapHe is a teacher.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry พี่ชาย, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries พี่ชาย, CC BY-SA 4.0.
